JewelRWBY, Story 1: To break a Rose
by DevilMayCrye
Summary: Set in the Black Jewels universe, the half-eyrien Yang Xiao Long must protect her sister Ruby, a young unbroken Queen who has yet to make the final Offering to the Darkness, from the Blood that prowl Terrielle. Their hope lies in the Dark Altars near Dena Nehele, where rumors speak that they're a gate way to another, safer realm. The realm of Remnant.
1. 1 - Tired

Yang Xiao Long was tired.  
She wasn't just tired of the life she was forcing to scrape by for herself and her young sister, of having to scrounge her living from the Red Moon houses scattered around Terreille, of having to submit her body to the degraded men that inhabited the more wealthy cities so that her sister wouldn't be reported to the corrupt Queens and their perverse courts, who ruled those abhorrent cities, where a young Queen like her sister couldn't walk down a public street without having to fear the men and women who walked along side her.  
She was tired of running. If she had the choice, or the power needed, she wouldn't run, but until unfortunately, the power had skipped her, most likely due to her unknown mother. It seemed the Darkness had chosen to grant her beloved sister power, because Ruby Rose had been granted a dark Opal as her birthright, where Yang only wore a Descended Opal.

According to the mentor they'd stayed with while Ruby was young, there was a lot of dark potential in her, and she needed to be protected. There were too many Courts who were willing to break a potential Dark Queen early, then potentially have the younger Queens rival them for control.

Yang sighed, and crashed back into the uncomfortable excuse of a bed. Ruby, still asleep despite Yang's movements, snuggled into Yang's side.

She smiled down at her young, and somewhat naive, younger sister.

Yang was 19, had a body that most men were dying to touch, but had the Eyrien temperament and skill with a blade needed to keep both her and her sister safe. She was proud of the fact she was part Eyrien, they were one of the few races who knew how to behave in a fair fight.

She hadn't met any Eyriens in person though, only heard about them from the few stories her father had told her, before he had disappeared.  
She satisfied the itch to fight that inhabited her blood, in a way that both gave them a shelter, and a means of income: the bed of a Red Moon house. She hated having these disgusting perversions of men using her body to pay for the roof over her sister's head, but since Gladiator Fighting had fallen out of style a year after Yang's birth, she needed to get rid of the pent up energy somehow.

She'd begun to earn a reputation in the Houses, enough so that she was usually guaranteed a place to sleep no matter what, but the list of Territories that could be safely used was starting to shrink.

She'd been tempted to head to Dena Nehele early on, but had decided against it, because she didn't have enough supplies for both her and Ruby. This had been a smart move, apparently, since the Dark Queen of Terreille had chosen to focus her attention there, and had started her long and slow corruption of the once powerful lands of Terreille.

Almost as if the Darkness was guiding them, the few remaining territories left for them to escape to, seemed to hold a few Dark Altars. She'd heard rumors that the Altars, besides being places to worship the Darkness, were used as portals to other Realms. She'd dismissed it, because the people she'd heard it from were rich nobles who had never left their precious cities and experienced hardships. But she'd started hearing rumors from the other girls who worked the House, so she wasn't sure what to believe anymore.

Since it didn't look like Ruby would mature enough to make an Offering to the Darkness soon, and since they hadn't found anyone they trusted enough to see Ruby safely through her Virgin Night, they were running out of options.  
_If only we could find a Black Widow. Those Witches would be able to help enough to make it easy enough..._ Yang thought, as she started thinking about the dangerous witches that potentially could hold her sisters salvation, if only she knew how to find them.

Yang sighed again, louder. She was just so damn tired of it all.

"...wassup?" Her dork of a sister murmured sleepily, her Birthright Opal somehow pressed into Ruby's forehead.  
"Oh, nothing, just go back to sleep." Yang said amusedly, giving her sister a quick kiss on the top of her head. Without much fanfare, the young Queen was quickly lost to sleep.  
_Despite all the bad things that happen to me, they are worth it, if it allows her to keep her innocence,_ Yang thought as she watched her sister sleep.

She looked at the Birthright Opal still slightly indented into her lovable sister's forehead, and looked to her Descended Opal, sitting in her bracelet. Most Jewels were often set into necklaces or rings, but Yang had gotten the bright idea to put into a pair of bracelets, which also acted like brass knuckles when Yang needed to use her psychic powers. Despite being the same rank as Ruby's Birthright, she could already tell the power difference between their similar Jewels.

_To think, if we weren't on the run, and she wasn't being forced to mature at a faster rate, Ruby might've actually developed the balls needed to stand up and boss me around, _Yang mused, quietly giggling at the idea of Ruby being all confidant and bossy.  
She loved her younger sister, who, despite being 16, still acted like a 13 year old, could potentially be powerful enough to beat most Queens.

There had been a startling decline in the darker jewels for the past couple of hundred years, which had been helped along by the Dark Queen's minions, who seemed to almost relish the thought of breaking potentially strong Queens.  
Yang had been lucky: she'd received Tiger Eye as her Birthright and wasn't gifted, meaning most men hadn't shown her any interest; had gotten her Eyrien teacher to get her safely through her Virgin Night, and had shortly thereafter made the Offering to Darkness, receiving her Descended Opal.

_Even if it's the last thing I do, I'll make sure where ever we end up, is safe for you, my darling sister._

Almost as if in response to that thought, Ruby hugged Yang tightly. Smiling, Yang returned the unconscious hug, and pulled Ruby close into the embrace, and she finally managed to close her eyes, and drift off.

-

"Sir, we are ready." The young man barked, as he approached his leader.

"Grimm baits set nearby, with most being in close vicinity to town entrances?" the leader said, his white cane resting over his shoulder, cigarette glowing.

"Sir, yes sir. We've had reports of Beowolves and Ursa Minors in the area, so they should cause enough chaos to get to the targets." The young man replied, drooling at the thought of potentially breaking a young queen.

Roman Torchwick, seeing that despicable look on his underlings face, frowned, and dismissed the underling. He wasn't happy about how little control the Dark Queen had given him, or about the men he'd been forced to hire from what passed for an Underworld in this city. The twin body guards of the 'leader' had potential, and he'd already bought them off to join him when he was finished in this Darkness cursed city.

_Why does she need me to break a little girl of 16?_ Roman mused as he took another drag on his cigarette.

It didn't make sense; the Queen already had enough agents living in the city to do so, even if you ignored the men here who would've done it for free.  
While he wasn't strong psychically like the Queens or her minions, his intellect and resourcefulness had earned him respect and power. It confused him as to why he was being wasted on something like this.

_Atleast I'll be able to get at the other target while all the chaos is happening in the city_, Roman smiled as he thought of his own agenda in the city. There'd been rumours of Dust Crystals in the city, and with the help of his potential new bodyguards, his suspicions had been confirmed.

Roman took a final drag of his cigarette, and crushed the remaining stub, watching as embers flew out from underneath his boots. He turned to face the warehouse full of hired help, lazing around or preparing for tomorrows events.

"Come on, Folks, time to get this show on the road. Can't keep little Red waiting."


	2. 2 - Early Moon's Rise

She tried her best to ignore the adorable noises that her ward were making in her sleep, despite the fact that 'Ladies do not snore, and there is no way in Hell she was ever capable of such an act', Yang finally decided to open her eyes.

Wishing the night could have given them a few more hours reprieve, she slowly untangled herself from the sleeping Ruby, tucked her sister back into the kind of comfy blanket, and went towards the basic desk where she kept the few documents they owned. She'd intended to also use Craft to open the curtains, but her stomach began to erupt into stabbing sensations, that dropped Yang to her knees.

As soon as she stopped using her Craft, the sensation eased back, but still left an uncomfortable feeling in her gut. All the colour drained from Yang's face, as she rather tentatively picked herself up, and hurried to find the calendar she'd bought for just this occasion.

_No, it can't be my Moon Time yet, not when we are so close to leaving this hellhole_ Yang thought desperately, as horror filled her mind seeing the bright yellow X marked on today's date.

Yang could've sworn she still had atleast a week to work with. Her's and Ruby's moon times had never been this close before, it was one of the few good things that had happened.

Thats when Yang noticed the small, empty vial on the desk, one she'd typically kept hidden from Ruby, since she didn't need the optimistic and cheery girl realising what her sister was doing to her body, to keep her safe.

Yang groaned in frustration.

_The one time I took a potion to delay a moon time_... Yang sighed.

Looks like any Craft-based work she'd wanted to do today was now off-limits, and since the Red Moon owner gave the girls a few days reprieve during their respective times of the month, she went down and informed the clerk on duty, closing the door quietly as she left the room.

As she descended from the staircase, the male patrons all turned their heads and stared at her. Most had the typical, predatory hunger in their eyes; these were the ones Yang typically avoided, unless they paid well, while a few others had looks of genuine warmth; while Yang loved it when one of these young men could afford her, she knew she'd be lucky to get 2 or 3 in the week.

Noticing that she wasn't wearing her 'First Come, First serve' style of outfits, most of the men turned away. However, the few Warlord Princes who'd decided to partake in the fruits of the Red Moon all kept their eyes on her.

"Since you're not wearing that ridiculous 'Sexy Bounty Hunter', can I assume you're off the market for the next few days?" Clarke the Red jewelled clerk asked, his usual snarky tone dialled back a bit.

"Yeah, pretty much. It's not bad enough that I can't throw out the more violent patrons, but I can't be messy anytime soon." Yang said, relaxing as the Warlord Princes backed down, seeing that Clarke seemed to be 'familiar' enough with her.

"Well, you could always do the 'Red Moon special'? It's paying for three times the usual amount." Clarke sneered, already knowing the answer.

Yang rolled her eyes. While Clarke wasn't the nicest or friendliest of the Clerks who worked the Ledger, he did care the most for the girls, and made sure they were looked after. Once they'd proven themselves to his 'Snarky' mask he wore out in public, that is.

"I know I need money, but I'm not that desperate for cash." Yang said, a little flushed.

She liked sex. Okay fine, she loved it, and especially the power it gave her over the weaker men. But she'd never allow one of these 'men' near her, like that, during her weakest moments.

Clarke sighed, overdramatically.

"Fine, but your loss. Only one other girl can perform it over the next few days, and we both know she doesn't need the cash."

Clarke then indicated for Yang to come closer, to which Yang complied.

"During the day, do your training regime out the back. We've got some big spenders coming in, and they seem the type to try and take you by force, especially if they see you in your current state, but still training."

He handed her a simple key.

"Hide your sister in there, so she'll be nearby, and away from their senses."

Yang was speechless. The key was to one of the few houses behind the Red Moon house, and it appeared to be Clarke's house as well.

No one, in the history of what the other working girls had told Yang, had ever been given the key to his place.

Before Yang could question, Clarke silenced her with a small gesture.

"I've seen what it's like, to look after a younger family member during their time, only to go onto yours, and to have everything go up in flames when you're at your weakest." He stated, emotion draining from his voice.

He quickly shook his head, and loudly mocked, "If you aren't for sale, get off my showroom floor."  
To which half the men started to laugh loudly.

Too stunned to be embarrassed, Yang left to get her sister. Things were looking up, atleast until her moon time was over.

Weiss was furious at her father.

She was fine having to come to this stupid town, she was fine to do all the stupid and pointless things expected of her by the Courts in power, and she was even fine to just explore the city to find out which courts should be backed now so her family's court would be in power during the next changing of the courts.

But she hated having to appear like a commoner, and she hated the fact even more that she wasn't allowed to use her family's carriage to get back.

She'd been circling a few streets for a while now, prepared to bring her favourite sword out of her 'cupboard' at a moment's notice. She really enjoyed the fact that the craft basically gave access to a storage space that could be accessed whenever she wanted, and when she'd descended to Sapphire, and realised just how much space she had access to, she'd been almost giddy with excitement.

She kept a few days worth of food and water, some blankets, basic travelling supplies, and whatever else suited her fancy.

She'd even stored a spare of her beloved dress and skirt, but she didn't want to risk the attention of either the more dangerous Blood who prowled the cities of the Queen, or her Father's spies.

On the fifth time she circled the streets, she heard a commotion, and decided to follow it.

As much as she hated to admit it, she wanted something to fight.

As Weiss rounded a corner, and saw the abhorred Red Moon symbol on the next few houses, she saw four men had circled a yellow haired girl, who had what looked to be a practice staff.

"Hey there, Moon bird. Why don't my friends and I look after you? There's some dangerous men in these parts of the city." The speaker suggested, his lecherous gaze focusing on two rather developed areas.

"Back off. Don't make me hurt you." The girl said, a little desperately.

Weiss hid back around the corner, and brought forth her sword. Weiss gambled on trying to communicate via the distaff thread.

-_When they make a move, I'll run up and attack them from behind, and you get away.-_

She wasn't sure if the message made it through, but the fact the girl looked less intimidated by the men, and seemed to be looking for her would be helper, gave Weiss the courage she needed to steel herself for what was ahead.


	3. 3 - Ice to meet you

So close, she'd been so close to losing Ruby. If these disgusting creeps had arrived a minute earlier, they would've picked up Ruby's psychic scent, and she would've been broken, and lost to the Twisted Kingdom.

Yang couldn't believe she was thinking this, but thank god for her moon time arriving unexpectedly.

All Blood males knew the psychic scent of Queens, and it is said that they used to treat them with the respect, and would often look out for the Queens-in-training. But the Black Queen of the realm had done something, during her abnormally long life span, which had twisted most of the males in the major cities into cruel perversions of how Blood males were supposed to act.  
Or so she'd heard from Ruby, after one of the few times she'd managed to get her ward into a safe location, where she'd been allowed to read her precious books on Blood Protocol, which their uncle had informed Yang 'were important for a young and kind Queen to know off by heart'.

Knowing she was lucky enough to have gotten away without being 'gifted' with one of the castes Blood females were occasionally born with, she was eager to give Ruby whatever time she needed to learn the damned books, so long as Yang was allowed to practice in peace.

_It's probably because of those books that Ruby hasn't come out yet to intervene, despite how weak she would still be from her past moon time..._ Yang thought dryly, as the 'men' slowly started to gather, as she kept practicing her moves outside Clarke's door.

If it hadn't been her time, she would've called her Eyrien Bladed Staff into her hands, instead of continuing to use the practice staff which she knew would be used against her in the worst possible way, if the 'men' had their way.

She watched through the corners of her eyes, as she practiced the moves slowly, to give off the feel of 'pretending to look dangerous', knowing it would either draw some out and force a confrontation, or they'd lose interest.

Most left, which gave her a small measure of relief, but four broke away from the shadows, and stepped into the 'training area'. Three of them were tall and made of muscles, and had lighter jewels, some of which that were even lighter than her Birthright Rose, which shocked her, since even when a Witch was weakened with her Moon time, she was still a threat if she was willing to put herself through extreme pain.

But the fourth, much to Yang's horror, was a Green jewelled Prince. And just by looking at him, she could tell that he took particular joy of hunting Blood Females during their moon time.

Yang quickly dialled up the 'I'm weak and defenceless' act, confidence seeming to drain from her, and fear seemingly showing up on her features.

"Hey there, Moon bird. Why don't my friends and I look after you? There's some dangerous men in these parts of the city." The Green Prince said casually, as he made no attempt to hide his lecherous gaze focusing on her breasts. As much as she loved how much her body was able to breathe during her exercises with her current attire, it also had a bad habit of showing off more than Yang wanted to.

Yang knew that this pervert wasn't used to his prey fighting back, so Yang prepared what little power she could muster, while adding the irresistible bait of "Back off. Don't make me hurt you.", watching as the he fell for it, hook, line and sinker.

-_When they make a move, I'll run up and attack them from behind, and you get away.-_

Yang barely kept control of her little act. She knew Ruby didn't use the Psychic threads that Blood could use to communicate telepathically. The Spear thread was automatically off-limits, since they were missing the equipment, and weren't close enough to anyone to try any of the 'Public' Jewel threads.

That left the Distaff thread, but Ruby only used that in emergencies, not to signal attacks.

She caught sight of a white-haired girl in a hooded travelling coat, and realised the threat the Green jewelled Prince made, had finally resolved itself into a fight she might walk away from.

_-On my signal, take out the slimy Green, and I'll deal with Muscles and his brothers. Have your weapon ready-_ Yang's cockiness easily being made known to the white haired girl.

_-What's the signal?-_ The hooded girl responded, the anxiety of the possible fight starting to show in her words, as she saw the girl call her weapon into her hand.

_A Rapier? Not the sort of thing that would work in this city, but it'll serve the purpose, _Yang mused, as she slowly altered how her body was positioned, as slowly prepared her strike.

_-This.-_ Yang stated, as she sent the small amount of power she had gathered, straight into the face of Slimy Green, through the medium of her fist. Yang's gambit had paid off: the stupid git wasn't shielded, so instead of deflecting the power and leaving her open, she launched Slimy away from the Muscle brothers.

With a quick flick of her staff, she whacked all 3 across the face, jabbed her makeshift spear into their private jewels, and for added measure, slammed each man's head into her knee.

It hurt like hell, but it seemed to do the trick.

She looked over to see how the girl had done, and was confused as to why the girl still had Slimy standing over her. She took a few steps closer, and then noticed that, while the girl was moving, trying to free something from about chest height on Slimy, Slimy still hadn't moved.

The girl's arm finally stopped its jerking motion, as the rapier came free; Slimy simply fell apart, into chunks of frozen flesh, shattering into ice crystals when his remains hit the floor.

"Wow, that wasn't very ice of you." Yang said dead pan, as she tried hard to suppress a big smile as she heard not one, but two loud groans of displeasure. One from the young woman standing in front of her, another coming from the now open door of Clarke's house, where her ward was now standing, her Protocol books apparently forgotten, her Silver eyes focused on the White haired girl.


	4. 4 - Yang in there

Weiss couldn't believe she'd actually killed a man. Sure, Blood culture wasn't against it, and her family exploited all the loop holes they could to kill off any threats, but to actually have someone die on her blade, by both her blade and her fury, shook her.

She was also surprised she'd managed to focus her cold fury enough to perfectly freeze the Green thug. Anger came in two forms to the Blood: hot, fiery anger which was dangerous in the short run, but could easily be stopped by either family and friends who knew how to redirect it, or by working it off physically, which was typically associated with the volatile tempers of Warlord Princes; or the cold, frozen fury that only the stronger of the female Blood could actually manifest, and was consider a death sentence to anyone who managed to invoke said fury in any of the stronger Queens.

This type of anger, was the reason Blood were supposed to live by the Blood Protocol, so that both types could easily be recognised and controlled, and so that the Blood could easily maintain the piece between various Courts, and was the main reason murder between Blood Courts weren't outlawed, since it was the safest way for the dark powers they wielded to sate their darker emotions.

But the Schnee family had a unique power within their bloodline. Those either born with Sapphire or darker jewels, or Descended to Sapphire or darker, had an affinity for ice in their craft, and the fury often associated with it. It made her family prideful and arrogant, but most members within her Families Courts had the power and wealth to back it up, unlike these cretins who lived in the supposed 'capital'.

Weiss had only recently undergone her Offering to the Darkness, so she was still learning the limits of her Descended Sapphire.

_Atleast I now know that I'm a true Schnee. I have our power, and I've killed a man in cold blood. For the right reasons, atleast..._ Weiss scowled, realising her beloved rapier was buried the remnants of the Green's jewel, and his chest.

She tried to, gracefully, pull the rapier from the frozen thug. It stuck fast, and made Weiss stumble, much to her pride's dismay.

After quite a few ungraceful tugs, her rapier finally came free, as the frozen thug fell apart, first into moderate sized chunks, before collapsing into a shower of tiny ice crystals.

"Wow, that wasn't very ice of you." The yellow haired girl said, completely dead pan, except for the look of slight amusement gleaming from her violet eyes.

_Huh, I could've sworn her eyes were red a moment ago...Must be a basic Illusion or something. I don't know why she'd want to hide her eye colour, but its none of my business_ Weiss mused, after a groan escaped her lips.

She walked towards the yellow haired girl, who'd turned to look into a door way. Noticing the girl hadn't finished the kill, Weiss burnt out the minds and jewels of the muscled men. Looking up, to get the yellow haired girls attention, she found herself staring into the lovely silver eyes of a young dark haired girl, whose tips were a dark red.

Despite the inherently sexual nature of Blood Society, Weiss had never believed herself to be sexual. She'd had sex before, once to get safely through her Virgin Night and another time to see why the Blood seemed drawn to the activity.

Both times had never really done anything for her, so she'd never tried to pursue any of the supposed 'prospective consorts' her family would bring around, since 'all good Queens need a Consort who knows how to make you want it', as some of the more lewd members of the court whispered to one another, as she'd sent each one away, just based upon the first glance.

But something about this young girl made her desire her. It wasn't sexual in nature, though as she looked over the girl, and saw the woman she would be, she found herself entertaining the idea of that sort of relationship with her. She didn't understand it at all.

_Mine!_ was the only thought going through her head, as she kept looking into the dark haired girl's eyes. Unbeknownst to Weiss, she'd actually whispered the thought out loud, loud enough for the light haired to notice.

Raging fires of red burning in her eyes, and her hair seeming to burn gold with an inner flame, the practice staff aimed towards Weiss.

"She isn't yours. She's my sister, and you go through me first before you even touch a single strand of hair." The girl stated, hate and anger barely contained within her words, her body rigid.

Until the dark haired girl put a hand on the light haired girl's shoulder, to which all the anger and hate just vanished. The golden locks going back to the sunny yellow she'd first seen, the fiery eyes once again changing from red to violet.

"Yang, you don't understand the importance of her words. She wasn't declaring that I'm her property, she was stating that she knows, on some deep and instinctual level, that she belongs with us, or with me atleast. In Blood Protocol, that statement, and her body language, is saying that either I'm a true member of her Court, or she's a member of our Court, the one Uncle wants to set up away from all of this." The dark haired girl informed her older sister, taking the staff from the blonde, and keeping her attention focused on her.

Seemingly sure that this 'Yang' was in control, the girl turned to Weiss.

She curtsied, and introduced herself. "My name is Ruby, and this is my sister Yang. I know what you're going through, because I feel the same. You're Mine, just as much as I'm Yours."

"My name is Weiss." Weiss responded, ignoring the stifled snort from Yang, and returning the curtsy.

The look of excitement that spread across Ruby's face, once the formal introductions were done, thawed Weiss' attitude just a bit. It was nice, seeing someone so happy and full of love for life, in this dark perversion of a city.

"Hang on; you said her court, or your court. That means you are both Queens?" Yang asked, slightly confused.

"From what I remember hearing from Uncle, there's only one Queen per Court."

Weiss scowled, again. Yang was right. The court hierarchy, atleast in regards to the Queen and their members, had the major three positions filled by males. And the feelings she believed she was feeling, given enough time, would definitely put her at odds with whoever filled the Consort position.

Ruby giggled.

"Yang, when have we have followed the rules? And besides, so long as the Triangle of Power is officially in male hands, we can do whatever we want unofficially. Besides, if Uncle plans on what I think he's planning, Weiss won't be the only powerful Queen who will be drawn to me." She joked, before the energy drained from her face, as if remembering something horrible.

Noticing that the shadows were starting to fill up with undesirables again, Weiss motioned to the open door.

"I believe we should go into your home. After that fight, and what we've just learnt, we need to talk in private, and safely away from whatever foul things lurk in this city."

Yang nodded, gathered the few things she'd pulled out for her training session, and hurried all three of them inside.

_What have I gotten myself into?_ Weiss sighed, knowing that, no matter what happened, she was now bound to the young, dark haired girl named Ruby.


	5. 5 - Ice meets Fire

Yang was a little...surprised was probably the closest word she knew to describe how she felt about Clarke's little abode.

Being a Red jewelled Blood Male, she'd expected a rather lavish set up, which was the current fad with those in power. Golden finishes on every little detail, immaculate furniture, and the sort of things that just told you that you couldn't afford to live this way, unless you swam the same social currents.

But Clarke's house was rather...humble. A very basic table, a few chairs, with other pieces of furniture stacked up and placed underneath sheets. The bare necessities in the kitchen, but it did look like he'd made one luxury: an icebox.

Since most of Hayll's Courts typically considered such basic craft 'beneath them', the few Blood who did bother to learn the necessary skills to make one charged exorbitant amounts for their services, and Yang didn't blame them. If she had bothered to learn the Craft necessary, she'd be swindling the pompous twits as well.

But Yang's blood had called her towards the Eyrien Camps, and the fact she was one of the few female Eyrien to have made it into the Camps, and to have successfully left the camps with her Eyrien pride intact.

She'd made herself quite a fair few enemies over those years, but she knew that they'd never leave the slowly rotting beauty of Askavi, as Hayll continued to rape its resources. Yang had almost not left Askavi either, if her Uncle hadn't revealed what the Dark Queen's influence, and the plan he'd thought up to get Ruby to safety.

She and Weiss had taken to sitting at the table in the room just off to the right of the doorway, opposing ends, while Ruby explored the kitchen.

"Ooohhh, it seems Clarke has all the stuff we need for some tea. Who wants some?" Ruby inquired, as she stopped rummaging around Clarke's rather bare cupboards, pulling out a teapot, as she called in some of witchfire to bring the water, which she'd also called forth, to a boil.

"Yes please." "I'd like a cup." Weiss and Yang chimed in unison, before returning to giving each other a glare.

Yang didn't trust this newcomer. Ignoring the logical 'We don't know her, and why should we trust her' behaviour she'd normally have for anyone who helped them, she despised her for the fact that Ruby had defended her.

Innocent and sweet Ruby, had trusted this stranger within a heartbeat of meeting her, just because of a gut instinct, and the single word 'Mine'. She'd trusted this Sapphire jewelled, ice-blue eyed Queen, before her loving sister, who'd been doing everything within her power to protect her for the past few years.

Obviously not liking the combination of silence and glares from Yang, Weiss finally spoke up.

"I'd like to offer you a job."

Yang was momentarily stunned, the glare giving way to confusion. Before Yang could recover, Weiss continued,

"I need an escort I can trust, to atleast get me back to my family's estate near Dena Nehele, and I trust Ruby, and I've seen your fighting skills."

Getting no response, she added "I can pay you as well. I don't expect you to do this for free."

Yang sighed. The Territories nearest Dena Nehele were the last resort, not because it was where the Dark Queen currently had her attention set, but because the smallest Territories there had Dark Altars, with Priestesses who owed both Yang and her Uncle favors.

She hadn't gone to them first, because she didn't believe the rumors of the 'Realm of Remnant', where the Grimm weren't as numerous, where the Blood still respected the Ancient ways.

It wasn't until much later, when it became too much of a risk for Yang to take Ruby there, that she'd started hoping that they were.

If the rumors were true, then besides brutalising the blood lines and weakening the Blood and their ethics, she'd also tried crushing their hope.

Now, this Sapphire jewelled, white haired Queen wanted them to go with her, to both their last hope, and their possible death.

Yang sighed, "How do you propose we get there? Neither Ruby or I can take the Ways, since there aren't any Opal threads in safe locations for us to work with, and we can't afford a Coach. And since you're asking us for help, I'm gonna assume you don't have access to a Coach, and that you don't trust the Sapphire threads or the Landing zones near your estates."

The Winds were a psychic multi-layered web that crossed the entire Realm, with the White Winds being broad and having barely any exits, and the Black Winds were the opposite, covering vast areas with just as many exits. The gaps in the Winds were true darkness, and only the darkest of Jewels ever dared to venture from the Webs' path. Few returned.

So while it was safer to travel the psychic Webs, they'd still need a Carriage to hold them and let them rest, since it was still a long way to travel.

The downside was you could only use the Winds that resonated with your darkest Jewel, or any of the Lighter ones. Before Weiss had shown up, they'd been limited to Opal and lighter, which could get to them to most of the places they needed, but none of the Dark Altars.

The Upside was, if you travelled in a Coach or a well travelled Blood, they could shield the Lighter Jewels on the Darker Winds. Which meant that, with Weiss offering to help, they now had access to the Sapphire and Green, which covered most of the major cities and Territories, as well as a decent chunk of the smaller ones, including areas near Dena Nehele, but Yang didn't know which of those areas to land in, since it had been quite a while since she'd been in contact with her Uncle, or the Dark Altars.

Weiss was silent, dropping Yang's gaze, knowing she didn't have an answer.

After a long paused, Yang finally gave in.

"I accept. However, two conditions. One: as far as I'm concerned, Ruby's safety comes first. Two: This is me, handing the olive branch to you, so don't mess this up. Ruby thinks you're important, so I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt, especially if it will get us closer to Dena Nehele. But mess up once, and you will never lay a finger on her again. We clear?" Yang finished, her usual joking nature gone, replaced with a cold and professional demeanour.

Weiss narrowed her eyes. "Crystal."

Ruby walked out of the kitchen, cups floating behind her, the witchfire she'd used to heat the tea now floating towards the ceiling, to act as a light source. Placing the cups within reach of Weiss and Yang, she sat down, and poured them each a cup.

Knowing her sister, Yang just downed the cup, not wanting the unique Ruby blend of tea to be on her taste buds for long.

Weiss, not having the experience Yang did, sipped her tea, much to Yang's amusement.

_3...2...1..._ And right on cue, Weiss made the same face everyone else did when they tried the heated sugar water Ruby called tea. If they'd managed to find coffee, it wouldn't have been as bad, since Ruby seemed to have some skill with coffee, but she wasn't to be trusted otherwise.

Because Ruby in the kitchen, unless it was her making something incredibly sweet, was a nightmare.

"Cookie, please?" Yang inquired innocently, knowing her lovable little sister had a big stash in her private cupboard.

Rather sulkily, Ruby gestured towards Yang, and a warm, chocolate chip cookie appeared, which Yang snatched out of the air with a "Thanks, Sis!"

While she wasn't a fan of cookies, the fact Ruby had been willing to give her one gave Yang the small amount of comfort she'd needed.

"What were you two talking about?" Ruby inquired, sipping her tea blissfully.

Before Weiss could respond, Yang beat her to the punch.

"If the Ice Queen here keeps her word, we should be able to meet up with Uncle, or pull off part of his plan to keep you safe."


	6. 6 - It's all coming together

After conversing with the strange sisters, Weiss excused herself, and asked for where she could find a bed to sleep.

"I'd offer you my bed, but I don't think you could afford it." The blonde retorted, as a light crimson flooded Weiss' face.

Saving her from more embarrassing remarks, Ruby added "Go up the stairs, take the second door on the left. The bed should suit what you are looking for, if you don't mind it being a little dusty."

"I don't think Clarke has actually used this place in a while. Don't you think that's weird, considering how long he's been working here?" Yang asked Ruby, diverting the dark haired Queen, before Weiss could say a thing, and what she thought about this lacklustre home.

Not wanting to add more fuel to that fire, Weiss left the front room, and ascended the stairs, creaking the floorboards every now and then.

-If you need anything, Yang and I will be in the room next door to yours- Ruby added excitedly, along the Distaff thread.

Weiss sent her what passed for an affirmative pulse on the threads, and reached the crest of the stairs.

The second story of this place, since Weiss refused to believed people actually lived here and therefore was denying that it was a house, was just as dusty as the first floor. But it didn't have the musty smell that permeated the bottom floor, but rather just smelled of dust.

She looked around, and noticed that a window was slightly ajar, and could possibly have allowed sun to shine in, if the Sun was up.

_That explains why this part of this place doesn't seem as abandoned_, Weiss mused, and she walked past the door Ruby had said she and her sister would be using, to the one Ruby said she could use.

Upon entering, even she was surprised at how sparse it was. Towards the left of the room, lay the bed. And to the right, was a tall object, covered in sheets.

Curious, Weiss moved towards it, and removed the sheet, to find her standing in front of a full length mirror.

She screeched, seeing the dark and horrifying being standing where she should've, only to realise that her hooded ensemble, combined with the now thawed crystallised blood, gave her the look of a deranged killer.

-What's wrong?- Ruby asked, panic in her voice. –Yang wants to race up to help, but I told her to wait a bit for a response.-

Again, Weiss' face flushed red, brighter than before.

–I startled myself, in a mirror.- She replied honestly, wanting to get used to being completely honest with Ruby. She could feel Ruby's amusement through the thread, which was shortly followed by a loud laugh from Yang.

-Okay dokey. But please try and keep any more screams to a minimum. While our neighbours are used to screaming, they are more used to happier ones.- It seemed Ruby sent feelings of warm support, then cut the thread.

Weiss' face was now burning crimson. Mother Night, she knew the Blood of Hayll were over-sexed, but this was ridiculous.

As she gathered her wits, she also noted how easily both of the sisters could slip by her armoured outer shell. She'd built her armor to deal with the poisonous attitude that the powerful courts of Terrielle, and it could even stand up to the barbs of the Dark Queen's butler, who was renowned for being able to break people with just a few words.

Yet the sisters had completely bypassed it, and not for malicious reasons. Dealing with these two, and their entwined future was going to be a completely different experience to what her father had trained her for.

This excited Weiss, and gave her a small measure of hope for her future. She loathed the courts of Hayll, loathed the way her family and their court members would do their best to appease the Dark Queen. And now she had a way out.

Weiss once again looked over herself, and vanished the ruined mess from her body, and admired her naked form in the mirror. Luckily, the thawed blood hadn't soaked through the clothes completely, and only left a few dark spots of red on her otherwise pale skin.

Not knowing when she'd get back to her household and the bathing rooms, she summoned the two small basins and a wash cloth, and sat her naked buttocks on the floor, in front of the mirror.

Filling both of the basins with water she kept stored in her personal cupboard, she dipped the cloth into one of the basins, and began to clean her body.

She brought the damp fabric up her arms, and wiped it back and forth along her, slowly, making sure to get all the grime she'd accumulated over the last few days. She repeated the motions on her other arm, enjoying the cold dampness on her skin.

She moved the fabric to the back of her neck, and gave a small whimper as she massaged her neck, as the tension started to leave. She began tilting backwards, lost in the sensation, until she overbalanced, and fell backwards.

Catching herself last second, she slowly lowered herself to the floor, lying down straight, and uncrossing her legs.

She trailed the fabric along her throat, in slow and sensuous movements, skin starting to flush with excitement.

_Wasn't aware I was this stressed_ Weiss thought, amused. _But apparently I need the release, and I don't trust anyone else in this Darkness forsaken city.  
_  
Weiss paused her motions, thinking of Ruby, and how she could teach the young Queen how to enjoy her own body, as well as that of another's, before shaking her head clear of the thoughts.

_We've just met, and we don't have any basis for such a relationship. Besides, she hasn't gone through her Virgin Night safely yet, and I don't believe she come through that safely._

Weiss went back to the task at hand, of both cleaning herself, and of giving her body the release it so desperately needed and craved.

She dipped the cloth into the second basin, wringing the muck and blood out of the cloth, before dipping it back into the first one, and bringing the dripping cloth to just above her chest. The cold water fell to her chest, accentuating the curves of her breasts, and a few drops managing to make trails across her sensitive nipples, hardening them, eliciting another sigh from Weiss.

She could feel a new wetness slowly starting to make itself known in her nether regions, as the faint smell of her arousal began to fill the room.

Finally lowering the cold and wet cloth to the space between her velvety breasts, the cold touching the enflamed skin, increasing the sensitivity of the touch, Weiss committed herself to what she craved, and was determined to leave herself as thoroughly satisfied as she could be, just using her hands.

Dragging the cloth around the skin beneath her left breast, while her free hand went to her right nipple, tweaking the hardened tip, and started massaging the soft flesh beneath, Weiss set to work on releasing the tension that was starting to form near her crotch, refusing to go for the quick release that her clit would bring.

She worked the cloth from one nipple to the other, until the sensation started to prove too much for her, each nipple painfully sensitive, her groin desperately craving the attention her hardened peaks were so selfishly keeping to themselves.

Not fully giving in to the temptation to finish herself there, Weiss refreshed the damp cloth, sweet cold once again permeating the cloth. She brought it to the underside of her breasts, and dragged the cold cloth down her stomach, quiet moans escaping the closer she got to her clit.

Right before she brought the cloth to her sensitive pleasure zone, she diverted to the right, cold cloth teasing her labia, as it went up her right thigh, cleaning the arousal that was working its way across. Once the right thigh was flushed with need, Weiss carefully circled under her thoroughly aroused vagina, and cleaned the arousal that had dripped down to her ass.

Upon the cold cloth touching her rosebud, it took all of Weiss' self control not to come right then and there.

_You are a Schnee, finish the job how you intended to finish it_ she scolded herself, as she gave her body a few seconds to recover a semblance of self control, and cleaned up the newer waves of arousal that her near orgasm left on her body.

She continued to work on to her left thigh, her breathing getting ragged.

Before going for the finale, Weiss cleaned the cloth a final time, and summoned a smaller one, for her to bite down on. She wouldn't give the blonde the satisfaction of knowing she'd just pleasured herself.

As she placed the smaller cloth between her lips, she started to drip the wet and cold cloth on her lower lips, the cold water mixing with her heated arousal, the cold and heat causing pleasure to spiral between her lower lips.

Knowing she was on the brink, she bit down and mercilessly circled her clit with the freezing cloth, her left hand alternating between each nipple, as her first orgasm hit her hard and fast, a loud moan muffled by the cloth, as she continued to work furiously on her clit and nipples.  
A second orgasm hit, and a third, her breathing becoming strained as the room began to reek of her arousal. She closed her eyes, and tried hard for a fourth, but her body gave out, her arms falling to her side, the cloth in her mouth forgotten as she struggled for breath.

Struggling to sit up, Weiss looked at the mirror, and was slightly embarrassed to discover that she had splattered the lower edge of the mirror with arousal, the force of her orgasms shocking her a little.

Weiss sighed, as she finished cleaning the last of the much, blood and arousal fluids from her lower body, and summoned the sleeping shift she always kept stored in her cupboard, onto her body, as well as her spare set of undergarments.

The ice blue garment was simple, and had a basic frill along the neck line. And it felt comfy on her oversensitive form.

Seeing that cleaning the mirror and where she'd been sitting, she also summoned a broom, and began work on cleaning the entire room, so that, at the very least, if immature blond one walked in, she'd just think that Weiss had been busy cleaning, instead of getting herself off.

Satisfied that the room was at a level of cleanliness she could tolerate, Weiss set herself on the bed, as the full moon shone bright through the window.

She could hear the sisters had apparently moved into the room nearby, and were having a faint conversation. Since she couldn't hear the impertinent blonde laughing, Weiss was going to make the assumption she'd successfully taken care of herself covertly.

Still riding the euphoric buzz, she drifted off into sleep, her thoughts solely on the dark haired beauty who lay in the next room, and the bright future Weiss believed she could offer.

Roman looked down at the city, cigarette flaring, as he waited for the first signs of movement. He hadn't expected the Grimm to take this long to gather.

Since the Dark Queen had long since made the Hunters and Huntresses redundant, it was interesting to note that the Grimm still knew not to get too close to a major settlement.

Roman sighed, and turned to the grunt to his left.

"You told me you set the baits. These were expensive, 'guaranteed to get you a group in an hour' type baits, which the Ruling Courts just seem to love using for their games. So, "Roman gestured towards Hayll, "Why don't we have ourselves any chaos and anarchy?"

The red haired grunt shifted, obviously uncomfortable. "There's something strong in the city, strong enough to make the beasts hesitant. But we placed enough lures to drive them into a fervour, and the few packs we've seen are going crazy with a need to enter the city. Whatever is keeping them out, won't last beyond the morning." An arrogant tone had his voice on these last few words.

Roman sighed again. Here he was, launching an attack on the seat of power of Hayll's Hundred Families, and he was still surrounded by arrogant fools who thought plans never failed.

"What's your name?"

The grunt blinked, surprised.

"Cardin, sir."

"Let's hope this goes well then, and we get the Rose our Queen is asking for. Because if it doesn't, you and your friends will be explaining to her why you let the Rose escape."

Roman suppressed a smirk, as he felt the change of demeanour wash over the youth, his psychic sent changing from arrogance to grim determination.

"I won't let you down, sir."

"Good, you'd better not." Roman turned and left, heading back for his temporary hideout in the cave system nearby. Upon entering, Roman placed his beloved cane-like cudgel near his sleeping cot, and laid himself down.

He felt a pulse of awareness hit him on the psychic threads, signalling that his bodyguards had news for him.

-Sir, Cargo secured. Would you like my sister and I to bring it to you?- The more dominant one responded, sending a hazy image of her more submissive sister holding some Dust Crystals, with a few cases lying open nearby.

-No, the original plan is about to go under way. Head to the next hide out, near the Schnee Estate.-

He responded, and received as pulse of acknowledgement as the thread was cut.

The Schnees, while the biggest buyers of Dust, wouldn't be the only ones interested. But being near to their lands, also gave him access to their wealth, should they plan to play him.

_At the very least, this operation won't be a complete failure,_ Roman mused, as he closed his eyes, and drifted off into a dreamless sleep, ready to start the part of the job that left a bad taste in his mouth: Finding the young woman, and either breaking her so badly her craft would be useless, or leaving her body behind.

He wished he had a way out of this, but no such luck, on this venture.


	7. 7 - A Grimm Start

1/Terrielle

Yang sighed with relief, hearing the faint sound of the door closing behind the Ice Queen.

She didn't like how quickly and easily Ruby had accommodated her into their life, the trust she had given without a second thought.

She wasn't sure if it was due to her nature as a Queen, or just puppy love, but Yang knew she'd have to be there for when the new addition in their life finally broke Ruby's sweet and fragile heart.

Ruby had situated herself opposite of Yang, and was staring holes into Yang.

"My dearest Sister Yang, why didn't you tell me you had taken a delaying brew last month?" Small amounts of anger evident in her voice, but the small hints of betrayal were what was tearing Yang up inside.

When Yang had agreed to her Uncle Qrow's plan, a much younger Ruby had made her promise one thing: No secrets and she'd be a good girl.

This had obviously caused issues, especially once the young queen had hit puberty, and learned that Yang had spent time in the Eyrien camps, and was making a living with her body.

But, having seen the much needed value of secrecy in Terrielle, Yang had started making small white lies, and had slowly expanded them, until she had the level of privacy she needed to remain sane. If she couldn't have her body to herself, she was damn well going to have something.

"Because we needed to leave, and I can't leave you unprotected while we travel."

_And because you have no idea how close we were to the Queen of these lands, and she can't have you._ Yang wanted to tell her what little information she knew, but her Uncle had also made her promise him: Ruby must not learn about what she could be, until the final Offering had been made.  
Her uncle hadn't said it, but it had been plain as day across his features: Ruby hadn't been the first

potential candidate for her Uncles plans, she was just the most recent and most likely.

Ruby snorted, before airing her grievances, "No, no more lies, not now that we have someone new with us. You know the risks of a delay brew, and you know how badly they affect the next moontime. From the fact you didn't use Craft to bring you your War Staff, you've probably hav-"  
Ruby was cut off by a screech, coming from upstairs. Due to the nature of the buildings that surround a Red Moon house, Yang knew no one else would come running, either due to not hearing the screech due to various noise cancelling spells that could've been added, or due to the fact no one wanted to find what had caused, or been the cause of, the screech.

Dragea was the main capital of Hayll, but Grimm still managed to get in every now and then, and dragged off Blood. Being Creatures born of the Darkness, Craft was effectively useless against the smarter and stronger Grimm, and that made them adept at hunting Blood.

Feeling the concern for Weiss in Ruby's psychic scent, Yang headed to the stairs, but a gesture from Ruby stopped her, glad that Ruby had been quick witted enough to try and contact Weiss first.  
A small grin spread across Ruby's face, before she informed Yang of Weiss' reaction to finding a mirror.  
Yang laughed loudly, and was momentarily pained from the dark energies in her gut, but it was totally worth it, knowing that the Ice Queen had effectively scared herself.

Yang settled back down, glad that Weiss had distracted Ruby enough to make her drop the subject. Before Ruby could get back on topic, Yang was already up and gliding towards her, ushering her from her seat.

"Come on sis, time for bed. Between me fighting during a forced moontime, our new addition, and the long journey we have ahead of ourselves, we need to get as much rest as we can."

"But the night is young, and I haven't gotten to talk to Weiss properly yet." Ruby whined and pouted, crossing her arms, and Yang loving every second of the display, since it meant that Ruby was still her lovable and childish dork of a sister, not the Queen she would become.

"You can talk in the morning, once we've gotten some shut eye. Come, you can teach me some more of that Protocol you and Uncle keep going on about." He added with a smile, seeing the change from pouty child to eager and energetic scholar.

2/Remnant

Ozpin walked through the dark mist of the Gate, finally arriving back at the Dark Altar near his estate. He'd been gone for a few thousand years, but he knew Glynda would keep the estate in order.  
Both she and he had chosen to become Guardians, the living dead, with her keeping an eye on Remnant, and he'd keep an eye on Hell. After long having lost it High Lord, Hell was slowly being reclaimed by the Darkness which had given it birth, meaning fewer Demon Dead lived alone.

But he was concerned by what he had been seeing there, or the lack of thing he had seen. Despite how close and entwined with the primordial Darkness that Hell had become, few Grimm had been reported.

And there were rumors of the Harpies finally having chosen a new Queen. Harpies were demon dead witches who had been brutally killed by a Blood Male, put still possess the will and/or the power to come back. They weren't known for being friendly to Male Blood, and since Ozpin didn't have enough to go on, he'd decided to wait until the new Queen of the Harpies would reveal herself. That had been a thousand years ago, and Ozpin had regretted it.

Snuffing the candles that powered the Gate, Ozpin left the Altar, slightly perplexed that it was unattended. While Priestesses were still an uncommon caste, they were also a well looked after caste in Remnant. But considering the proximity to the old SaDiablo estate, there should still be a Priestess on site, since their duties included caring for the Dark Altars, and the Gates within, besides being the one who helped honour the ancient tradition.

He headed toward the crumbling SaDiablo estate. Despite Ozpin and Glynda typically being considered 'Dark Jeweled', their Jewels apparently weren't considered dark enough to renew the spell that had kept this marvellous estate in top condition.

Upon entering the Hall, Ozpin could sense that Blood had been here recently. He could never forget Glynda's psychic scent, but the other two confused him. The scents he was picking up, belonged to people he thought long since Demon Dead, and having passed back into the Darkness.

Before he could puzzle the scents out, he turned towards where he believed Glynda to be residing, and stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes betraying him.

"Lord Peter?"

3/Terrielle

Jaune pondered as to why he never received his Jewels, and was made to work for the Schnee courts. He didn't understand why his family would want him serving one of the few dark families, and why they wanted him to be a guard, of all things.  
While his grandfather had been a renown Warlord Prince, and his own father had followed in his footsteps, Jaune was turning out to be the disappointment of the family. After his first Offering, where he had returned with no Jewels, his family had tried many things to discreetly rid themselves of him. Sure, it had seemed like they were doing it out of the kindness of their hearts, but Jaune could see the political manoeuvres, after having witnessed the Schnee Court doing business.

Luckily for him, his family's apparent shame made it obvious to all the foul Witches he'd served, that he wasn't worth using, and wasn't a threat, which meant he hadn't been fitted with a Ring of Obedience.  
Jaune shuddered at the thought of those abhorrent devices. He'd heard from the Witch in who was in charge of him, that they were a perversion of the original Rings of Honour that the 3 Ruling Blood Males of a court used to wear in times long since past. But the Ring of Obedience wa different, so very different.

While the Ring of Honour was willingly worn by Males of a Court, the Ring of Obedience was typical forced upon stronger males, so that they could be forced to submit to the unwanted control of weaker Witches. They were also used as severe punishment on any male that was considered to be 'acting up', and was considered the alternative to having a male, if they were considered too valuable to be shaved.

Jaune looked up, to see the Witch in charge of him approaching.

"Lady Nikos, why are you here? My shift isn't over until sunrise, and I wasn't notified to expect you." Jaune tarted anxiously, only thinking about whatever potential punishment he might've been given on a whim.

The beautiful red haired witch smiled, raising her hand in a placating gesture.

"Calm yourself, Prince Arc. I have come to find you, to make you an offer. And please, call me Pyrrha, when we aren't in court." She said quietly and confidently, as if she already knew his answer, and was merely giving him the agency to choose.

Jaune respected her. While other Blood would treat him as a half-Blood, Pyrrha Nikos had always treated him with respect when she didn't need to. It had been odd at first, but it had been one of the two things that had given him the strength to keep his current post. The other reason was his beautiful Snow Angel, but he didn't want to think about that forbidden desire.

"Yes, Lady Nik—Pyrrha." Jaune forced himself to comply to her wish. "What is your offer?"

She merely smiled a brighter smile. "Soon, the young heiress Lady Schnee will be returning home, with some important guests. She'll want to leave and travel with her guests, and we need to go with her."

"How do you know that?" Jaune asked apprehensively. There were rumors that Lady Nikos was actually a Black Widow, and actually used poison and the unique mind altering skills of the Black Widow coven to achieve her status.

Jaune hadn't believed a word, since he had seen her take down an unruly Sapphire Warlord Prince using nothing but the blunt edge of her shield. He alo knew that if she ever choose to wield her spear in combat, even the Schnee family would do their best to try and stop her before she roe to the killing edge.

"A long time ago, a strange crow told my family of a prophecy surrounding the Schnee family, and that how only the Glacial Heir would save the Blood Rose, and save all of the Blood. Having watch the Schnee family for thousands of years, my mother figured that the young Lady Weis has the highest chance of being a part of that prophecy, due to her being the first Queen of the maternal bloodline." She paused, considering how much to tell him, before continuing.

"Recently, another strange crow has told us that the Blood Rose has been found, and is slowly making her way toward here. Both you and I need to be there to support the Lady Weiss in her future."

Jaune couldn't believe what he had heard, and his face must have made it obvious what he thought about her story, since her smile dimmed, and he turned away, apparently about to leave.

"Wait!" Jaune pleaded, cursing himself for not controlling his emotions better. "To be 100 percent candid with you, your tale sounds absurd. BUT, you are the only person who has shown me trust and respect, so I will gladly help you." He finished, not really believing he'd just agreed to her plan.

The smile she now wore could've have rivalled the sun.

Weiss woke with a start, her body aching from her enthusiastic pleasuring last night. Her senses were on edge, but she had no reason to be. She had woken up exactly where she'd fallen asleep, and only the two sisters in the room next door could be sensed in the premise.

_This is strange….._ Weiss mused, as she probed the surrounding streets. Nothing seemed out of place, yet he had occasionally found paces of nothing, which she'd only ever encountered while travelling along the Psychic webs.

She gritted her teeth, and left her room, heading downstairs to see what she could make for breakfast.

Roman overlooked Dragea, and smiled at what he saw. Packs of Ursi and Beowolves prowled just beyond sight of the Sentries. He knew the beasts were waiting for a chance when the Sentries weren't paying attention, since they had learnt long ago that the Sentries were more fearsome than they seemed.

He, on the other hand, was waiting to give the signal that his agents were to distract the Sentries, given the unholy Grimm the chance to attack the wall, and invade the city. The powerful Dust weapons used to ordinarily keep the Grimm out, couldn't be turned inward.

Roman raised his cane into the air, and fired off a ball of white witchlight, which stood out in the pre-dawn darkness.

Once it reached a certain height, he activated the spell he'd added to the witchlight, causing it to explode into a bright flash. That little spell had worked more than he thought it would, since he could already sense half a dozen probes being sent in his direction. They wouldn't find him and his help, due to one of the unique properties that the Grimm had started developing in the last couple of hundred years.

_Between the Grimm hunting, and me specifically looking for her, Little Red won't stand a chance._ Roman mused grimly, honestly wishing the Dark Queen hadn't given him the job.

Roman had no issue killing Witches. But he did have issue killing young Witches who hadn't even received their Birthright Jewels. It made no sense to kill potential threats, when there were much more apparent threats .

He sighed, and took the White Wind down to one of Dragea's landing Webs.


End file.
